Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Recently I came up with the strong desire to own something I can't afford right now: a charging valet.

This fantastic little piece of furniture lets you put all the items you need to recharge in one place, with the cords hidden inside.

I had never heard of these, but when I saw one in a catalog, I became absolutely convinced it would solve all my life's problems (well, maybe one of them, anyhow).

Who has $40-50 to buy one of these? I do not. So I came up with a wacky idea of making my own, and I'm SURE you will want to make one too! Disclaimer: the images below are a prototype; you may want to make yours more aesthetic than mine.

1. Choose a shoebox that is big enough to hold a power strip. Paint the box or cover it with contact paper or giftwrap.

2. Cut a hole down low in the side of it so that when the power strip is inside the box, its cord can come out.

3. On the top of the box, cut at least 3 of these little door flaps. I put a V notch in them in the hopes that they would keep the cords in place better.

4. Put the power strip inside the box and plug your rechargeables into it.

5. Thread the rechargeable cords up through the little door flaps.

6. Now you have a safe and consistent place in which to plug your cell phone, recharge batteries, etc. etc.!

You are brilliant. I saw one of those things and had all of the same thoughts except for the "Hey, I think I'll do something about it!" part. I am so glad you carried on with the best part. I am off to tame the corner of my desk that seems completely committed to wires and cables and chargers. =)Thanks so much for the inspiration!Old Hat